Liberty looking for consecutive wins with visit from Dream
The reigning champion New York Liberty have not won consecutive games since they started this season 9-0.
Since that great start, they are just 4-6.
The Liberty will get another shot at a winning streak on Sunday afternoon when they host the Atlanta Dream.
New York is coming off an 87-78 win over visiting Las Vegas on Tuesday night. The Liberty got great performances from Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich.
Ionescu had game highs in points (28) and assists (eight). Stewart had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. And Fiebich, who had 15 points, had game highs in rebounds (nine) and blocks (three).
Kennedy Burke added 10 points and a game-high six steals.
'We were really active (on defense),' Ionescu said. 'We upped the intensity.'
The Liberty won despite having three players out with injuries: Jonquel Jones (ankle), Natasha Cloud (hip) and Isabelle Harrison (knee).
For the season, Stewart is fourth in the league in scoring (19.6), and Ionescu ranks fifth (19.4). Ionescu also ranks second in made 3-pointers per game (2.6).
New York and Atlanta have split two games against each other this season, with each team winning on its home court.
The Dream, who finished 15-25 last season, are much improved so far this season at 12-8.
Allisha Gray is a big reason for Atlanta's rise. The fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Gray was traded by Dallas to the Dream in January of 2023. Since that deal, Gray has become a three-time All-Star.
This year, Gray is having her best season, averaging 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists while making 41.6 percent of her 3-pointers.
She was named an All-Star Game starter -- the first Dream player to earn that honor since 2018. And ESPN.com recently named her the favorite to earn the WNBA's Most Improved Player award.
Gray, though, was held to six points on Friday in a 99-82 loss at Indiana.
'They were staying attached to her, making her work,' Dream coach Karl Smesko said of the defense on Gray. 'They were double-teaming her.'
A highly regarded offensive coach from his days at Florida Gulf Coast, Smesko has made a difference. Last year, the Dream were last in the league in scoring. This year, they are third.
Rhyne Howard ranks second on the Dream with 16.5 points per game. Brionna Jones (13.6), Jordin Canada (10.5) and Brittney Griner (10.0) are also scoring in double figures.
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